In the field of telecommunications, numerous customers are connected with the switch of a telecommunications company over telecommunications lines. Such customers are also sometimes referred to as subscribers. The switch is also often called an exchange or “PBX” (central office exchange operated by the telecommunications company). Between the subscriber and the switch, sections of telecommunications lines are connected with telecommunications modules. Telecommunications modules establish an electrical connection between one wire attached to the telecommunications module at a first side and another wire attached to the telecommunications module at a second side. The wires of one side can be called incoming wires and the wires of the other side can be called outgoing wires. Plural telecommunications modules can be put together at a distribution point, such as a main distribution frame (or “MDF”), an intermediate distribution frame, an outside cabinet or at some other distribution point located, for example, in an office building or on a particular floor of an office building. To allow flexibility in wiring some telecommunications lines are connected with a set of first telecommunications modules in a manner to constitute a permanent connection. Flexibility is realized by so-called jumpers or cross connects, which flexibly connect contacts of the first telecommunications modules with contacts of a second set of telecommunications modules. These jumpers can be changed when, for example, a person moves within an office building to provide a new telephone (i.e., a different telephone line) with a telephone number the relocated person intends to keep. Such a change of jumpers can be called patching or cross-connecting. Within the telecommunications module disconnection points can be located in the electrical connection between the two sides. Disconnection plugs can be inserted at the disconnection points to disconnect the line. Protection plugs and magazines are also sometimes used. These are connected to the module and protect any equipment connected to the wires from overcurrent and overvoltage. Test plugs can also be inserted at a disconnection point to test or monitor a line.
Recently, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, or “ADSL,” technology has spread widely in the field of telecommunications. ADSL allows at least two different signals to be transmitted on a single line and is achieved by transmitting the different signals at different frequencies along the line. Signals are combined at a particular point in the telecommunications line and split at another point. In particular, at the subscriber side separate voice and data signals are combined and sent to the central office over one line. In the central office the combined signal is split. For the transmission of voice and data signals to the subscriber, separate voice and data signals are combined at the central office, sent to the subscriber and split at the subscriber side. After splitting the signal, the POTS, or “plain old telephone service,” can be used to transmit voice signals. The remaining part of the split signal can be used to transmit data or other information. Splitters, which are used to split or combine the signal, can generally be arranged at any distribution point.
Any electronic components necessary to perform the above functions can be contained, sometimes together with a printed circuit board as a base, in a functional module, and the entire module may function as a splitter. Similar functional modules include protection modules, which contain components that provide protection against overvoltage and/or overcurrent or testing and monitoring modules, which contain suitable electronic components and circuits to test or monitor a telecommunications line. Other functional plugs are known to those skilled in the art.
These functional plugs may be inserted into a receiving space of the telecommunications module. Specifically, the contacts of the functional plug can establish electrical contact with the contacts of the telecommunications module. When a functional plug is not inserted opposing contacts within the telecommunications module can be in electrical contact with each other at a disconnection point. The contacts can be separated by inserting a functional plug where electrical contact between the separated contacts of the telecommunications module and the contacts of the functional plug can be established.